NewTina By Night
by Bellarsam Chrisjulittle
Summary: For June, this is a collection of Newtina drabbles, one for each day of a month. Each is inspired by a prompt from a list of fluffy sayings that I came across on Tumblr. It's all Newtina, taking place between sunset and sunrise, and pure indulgent fluff.
1. Star gazing was a good idea

" _Star-gazing was a good idea._ "

Tina's voice was quiet, clear and calm. This was a rare moment of true serenity for her, and with good reason, considering the activity she was engaged in and her choice of companion.

"Mmm," Newt mumbled, smiling to himself at Tina's praise. They lay side-by-side on a blanket that they had spread on the grass behind Newt's small cottage in Dorset. He'd recently bought it on the proceeds of his very successful book, and this was Tina's first visit.

"This must be the first warm night of the year," murmured Newt.

Tina shrugged, laying on her back beside him. "Well, you would know better than I would. This is your side of the pond, after all."

Newt chuckled softly. "Then I would say that it is a very good possibility. Spring can sometimes have a difficult time giving way to summer in this country."

"Hmm," Tina mumbled. "Summer usually arrives on time in New York, but the humidity can be enough to drive you nuts."

They lapsed into peaceful silence, turning their full attention to the beautiful night sky. The fact that the moon was only a sliver made the stars easier to see, along with the absence of any clouds in the sky – a small miracle for England.

Eventually, Newt was the one who broke the silence in a calm voice that just barely masked his nerves. "You know, I imagine that star-gazing in New York is just as difficult as it would be in London…but I imagine that the star-gazing opportunities here would be much more plentiful."

Immediately, he winced internally at his formal and clumsy words that meant so much more. When he had bought this cottage, he'd told Tina his main reason: to plant roots that he could always return to after his travels. What he hadn't yet told her was that he'd bought it in the hope that it wouldn't become a home for him alone.

He dared not turn his head to look at Tina. She knew him so well by now, so he had no doubt that she understood the subtext of his statement.

Indeed, she had. His heart breathed a joyful sigh of relief when he felt her hand rest inside of his own hand between them. Her reply made his heart soar, especially since he could hear the smile that accompanied it:

"Hmm…we'll just have to wait and see, won't we?"

 _We…_ Yes, Newt very much liked the sound of that. He laced their fingers together and squeezed them, a smile on his own face as they again fell into peaceful silence beneath the stars.


	2. But I want to hear you sing

" _But I want to hear you sing."_

Tina blinked first and paled second in reaction to Newt's words. They were sitting by the occamy hatchlings, who were all sleepy but fighting to stay wide awake as all babies try to do. She had just told him that a lullaby from him would be the perfect thing to settle them down.

"M-me?" she squeaked, and her cheeks burned. Where was this coming from? "But you are always the one who sings. Why would you want _me_ to sing? _You_ have a beautiful voice."

That wasn't a lie. Newt had a _beautiful_ singing voice, as she had discovered while doing these nightly rounds with him in his case. It was rich and soulful, just like his soul and heart that he kept beneath his humble outer layer. Sometimes, as he sang to the baby occamies or the mooncalf calves, she would close her eyes and imagine…imagine Newt singing, not to a baby creature, but to a baby he held in his arms…with his hair and her eyes…

Tina shook her head, resolutely pushing those imaginings from her mind.

"Well, thank you," Newt said modestly, his ears coloring but resolutely keeping his eyes on her. "But I think you do, too. Have a beautiful voice, I mean."

For a moment, Tina was confused; he'd never heard her sing before, had he? Oh, no, wait…he had that one time, in those first eventful days of meeting each other, when Queenie had led her in singing their school song.

Blushing as she remembered, Tina lowered her gaze to the edge of the occamy nest and rubbed her neck. "I can carry a tune passably, that's all, it's Queenie who's got the real pipes –"

"Please, Tina," he implored softly, gently, _irresistibly._ Looking at him again, she knew that she was a goner. Well, she'd been a goner for _him_ for a while now, but in terms of his request, she knew she couldn't say no. Not when he asked her like that and looked at her like that. Head tilted slightly, looking up and almost through her through his fringe, his blue eyes so soft…

So, she took a deep breath and looked back down at the restless baby occamies. Still feeling butterflies in her stomach, she shut her eyes before she started singing. Since a lullaby was required, she sang the only lullaby that she truly knew: the same one that her mother had sung to her, and that she had sung to Queenie in later years. The song wasn't in English, but in Hebrew, and to this day, Tina only knew the vague meaning of the lyrics. She'd asked her mother once, a long time ago, and all she remembered was something like, _'Sleep, sleep, sweet little girl…'_

Singing it again after so long, a flood of emotions washed over her. This lullaby existed in some of her best memories, but also in some of her worst. Tina remembered resting in the safety of her mother's arms as her mother sang it softly to her; Tina also remembered singing it through her own tears as she held a small, sobbing Queenie in her arms, in the months after their parents' deaths. Torn between the polar ends of emotion, all Tina could feel as she sang it was overwhelmed.

When she was finished, Tina opened her eyes to find that her vision was blurred by tears. She could see that the occamies had settled, though, so she was glad that the lullaby had done its job. Then she felt gentle, warm, and familiar fingers brush her cheeks. Tina blinked hard before turning her head to look at Newt.

The love that she saw in his expression made the tears that she had just blinked away come flooding back twice as strong. But when Newt kissed them away after they fell down her cheeks, Tina felt nothing but pure love spread like a healing balm throughout her soul.


	3. Don't be stubborn Try it!

" _Don't be stubborn. Try it!"_

The expression on Newt's face did not change as Tina held out the pickle towards him. If anything, his face pinched in disgust even more. They were both in their pajamas, since Tina had arisen in the middle of the night to satisfy her sudden craving for the ugly green vegetable and Newt had woken up when he felt himself alone in the bed. When he'd seen what his wife was eating at the kitchen table, he'd regretted getting up. But Tina had spotted him, and so began a small battle that had started since they'd met: The Pickle Battle.

Newt Scamander had traveled the world in his lifetime. As a result, he had sampled the cuisines of every place that he had traveled. He was by no means a picky eater; in fact, he had a very open-minded palate when it came to food, and he enjoyed food very much.

However, there were a few culinary items that, for whatever reason, were simply… _repelant_ to him under any and all circumstances. Pickles happened to be one of them.

Tina, on the other hand, happened to like them. Since her pregnancy cravings had started, however, she had grown to absolutely love them. Newt shuddered to think what would happen if their child turned out to like pickles, too. Ugh, he'd be surrounded by them!

"Tina, why must _I_ try it?" he asked, almost petulantly.

A determined glint entered Tina's teasing gaze. "Because I am determined to make you like these before you die, and now is just as good a time as any." She gave him a sweet smile. "Just a little bite, that's all. You know you can't argue with someone who's bigger than you." She rubbed her six-month-pregnant belly, emphasizing the point.

Groaning, Newt took the pickle from her, deciding to just get it over with. His face still scrunched like a baby's, he took a deep breath and quickly took the smallest bite from the ugly thing. He chewed and swallowed as quickly as he could, and only breathed through his mouth when he let himself breath again.

Throughout all of this, Tina didn't even try to hide her mirth. She was laughing fully as she took the pickle back from Newt. "Alright, I won't push you tonight, love," she said, still giggling as she took the pickle back to the pantry.

Her laughter ceased as she pulled something else out of the pantry. "Perhaps you'd like to join me while I satisfy my midnight craving like this?"

The sour look that Newt had maintain on his face ever since he'd seen that pickle disappeared in a flash when he saw the egg custard tart that Tina was now holding. "Oh, yes, and thank Merlin!" he exclaimed.

They both laughed as Tina set it down on the kitchen table. She then walked to Newt, took his hand, and softly smiled as she put his hand on her belly. Lowering her gaze, she asked tenderly, "And how about you? A better option than your daddy's worst culinary nightmare?"

Both laughed as they felt the firm fluttering of limbs beneath their fingers. While Tina silently accepted the fact that she wouldn't be able to convert her husband over to the pro-pickle side of the fence (for tonight, at least), Newt silently rejoiced that maybe – just maybe – their child would inherit more of _his_ palate than Tina's.


	4. Your hair is very soft after you wash it

" _Your hair is very soft after you wash it."_

Tina smiled against Newt's chest at his words, soft and rich in the afterglow of their love-making. She practically purred as his fingers played with her short hair, and she snuggled closer to him. Newt had a way of saying the most ordinary observations and making them sound like the most romantic declarations that ever were made.

"One of the many benefits of having Queenie for a sister," murmured Tina. "She reads all of the beauty magazines that I don't, and she tells me what's useful."

Still gently playing with her hair, Newt asked, "Did you always wear your hair short?"

Tina didn't answer. He felt her body tense by the smallest degree, but it was enough to grab his full attention. His hand left her hair so that he could cup her chin and lift her face to meet his gaze. "Love, what's wrong?"

She sighed and lowered her gaze momentarily before meeting his again. "I wore my hair long all through school. I knew I wanted to be an auror well before I graduated. Even though I was the top of my class, I got mocked quite a bit by the boys. You know, don't send a girl to do a man's job and all that…"

Her tone was matter-of-fact and calm, but Newt could see that the experience had been a painful one.

"Well, the night before my auror training officially began," Tina continued, "My nerves were practically eating me alive. Had Queenie been with me and not still at Ilvermorny, I probably wouldn't have done it. But all I could think about were those taunts and insults because I was so nervous…so I locked myself in the bathroom and used my wand to chop my hair up to my chin. In my frazzled state, I saw it as a way to toughen me up."

She rolled her eyes and smiled a little smile before continuing.

"Turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I've _loved_ having it short ever since, because there was so much less to worry about in terms of taking care of it and keeping it out of my way."

Throughout her story, Newt had listened quietly, giving her his full attention. The compassion in his eyes never waned one bit. "I am glad of that," he said softly in response to her last sentence.

Then, to Tina's surprise and delight, Newt gently rolled them over so that he was above her. He then lowered his face to her neck. Tina whimpered in response.

" _This_ is another advantage, wouldn't you agree?" he said, his voice muffled because his lips were multi-tasking.

Tina responded by running her fingers through Newt's own wild hair _just_ the way he liked it. All thoughts hair – or anything coherent – went out the window after that.


	5. Borrow your sweater? It smells like you

" _Would it be all right if I borrowed your sweater? It smells like you."_

Tina timidly spoke her words against his shoulder as they held each other tightly. Newt felt them more than he heard them. He would be leaving in mere minutes after spending the holidays in New York City with his dear friends and the woman he loved. It would be at least several months before they met again.

The request surprised him, but it in no way displeased him. "I believe that will be manageable," he murmured, still holding her close to him, "seeing as how I'm going to Indonesia. Can't really think of a reason to bring a sweater there."

Tina giggled, and he smiled. Then, with great effort, he pulled back enough to look at her face. "However, there is a condition," he said, still smiling.

"What is it?" asked Tina. "I promise I'll take good care of it."

"Oh, I'm not worried about that," said Newt. "I mean to say…I'll leave you something of mine if I can take something of yours with me."

Tina blinked in surprise. "Oh, of course! Um…what do you, um…" She looked towards her closet that she shared with Queenie (whose own clothes took up the majority of its space). While she was eagerly imagining the upcoming winter evenings in which she could wear his cream-colored Irish-knit sweater ('jumper,' as he insisted on calling it), what in Morrigan's name could he do with any of _her_ clothing?

Thankfully, Newt already had his preference in mind. "Your autumn coat. The lilac one with the broad collar. Is that alright?"

Tina's face lit up in a smile, for she'd been wearing that coat when they'd first met. She went to her closet to pull that item of clothing out. It being truly winter now, she currently wore a heavier coat outdoors, so she could easily part with her lilac coat for a while. Newt, meanwhile, had opened his suitcase (in Muggle-Worthy mode, thankfully) and pulled out his cream sweater. They walked towards each other and, silently but lovingly, exchanged them.

"Why that coat?" Tina asked, as she placed his sweater on her bed (knowing that she would put it on soon after he was gone).

Newt smiled as he carefully folded her coat into the suitcase. "Not to wear, of course. But I want to hang it up in my shed alongside my own coat...and imagine you're with me."

Tina's eyes flooded with tears hearing this, and they fell down her cheeks as she did a little jump in reaction to the clock in the room striking the hour. It was time for him to go.

Newt bravely stood up, picked up his suitcase, and faced her. His own face and bright eyes betrayed how much he would miss her in return as the two collided for one last, passionate kiss and embrace. Both were too choked up to say anything more, and actions always worked better in these situations, anyway.

Finally, Tina firmly broke their embrace and gave him one last, brave nod. He returned it, stepped back, and disapparated away with everything except his sweater and his heart.


	6. Will you let me rub your back?

" _Will you let me rub your back?"_

Newt's innocent suggestion caused Tina to blush beet-root to the roots of her hair. She opened her mouth but could only gape like a fish. At least his words had made her temporarily forget the uncomfortable pain she was feeling from her shoulders to the base of her spine.

Three days ago, Tina had been injured in a raid. Though her team had managed to catch the smugglers, she hadn't been able to disapparate safely before the building began to collapse. She'd been pulled out before more serious damage had been done. According to the healers, she'd been lucky not to have gotten a spinal injury, only some nasty bruises all down her back.

Of course Tina wished that this hadn't happened, but she _really_ wished that it could have happened _after_ Newt's visit rather than before.

He was pretty pink in the face himself, and he soon was stuttering an explanation for his suggestion: "I-I only mean, Tina, that the healer gave you that potion specifically to rub into your bruises to take away the pain and help you heal faster. And since you can't exactly do that yourself, and Queenie is out with Jacob, I just want to…that is to say…I don't want you to be in pain –"

"I know," she interrupted him. "So…yes, you may. I would…really appreciate that."

Newt nodded before she led the way into her bedroom. She picked up the purple bottle of her prescribed potion and handed it to Newt. She then blushed again, cleared her throat, and motioned with her hand for him to turn around. When he understood what she meant, he blushed harder than her and turned around.

As quickly as she could, Tina took off her blouse, climbed onto her bed, and laid on her stomach. "Okay, ready," she said, cursing the crack in her voice.

A second later, she heard a strangled gasp from behind her. She turned her head so that her cheek rested on her pillow and she could just see him from the corner of her eye. "Oh, I'm sorry, I should have…I mean, Queenie said yesterday that they had gotten better in the last three days…do they really look that bad?"

"I…I've seen worse," was Newt's strained reply. He then stepped closer to the bed and knelt down by her side. Level with each other, Tina could see the pain in his eyes. "I just…hearing what happened didn't…but _seeing_ …" His next four words were barely a breath: "I almost lost you…"

Tina's heart soared. Perhaps Queenie was right, that he _did_ feel the same way about her that she felt about him. She lifted the hand closest to him and gently touched his cheek. "I'm right here, Newt," she said softly, hoping that her eyes held everything that he needed to see.

She must have succeeded. In the next moment, Newt had taken that hand in his own and brought it to his lips. He kept eye contact with her, saying everything that needed to be said, as he kissed her fingers.

But the tender moment couldn't last forever. Soon, Newt gently put her hand back down on the bed and rose to sit gingerly on the side of the bed. "Let's get you better, then," he said, pouring out some of the purple potion into his hands.

"Thank you," said Tina, smiling as she closed her eyes. And as Newt's hands began their work their magic (no pun intended), Tina decided that being taken care of by this man was quite lovely indeed.


	7. It's okay I couldn't sleep anyway

" _It's okay. I couldn't sleep anyway."_

Tina's reassuring words in response to his apology only eased Newt's guilt of disturbing her a little bit. She wasn't lying, either. When Newt had tiptoed to her bedroom from the living room (the sisters had made a very comfortable bed out of the couch for him), his only intent had been to get a glimpse of her, safe and sleeping and lovely. Just enough to calm him down after that horrible nightmare and help him get back to a hopefully more peaceful sleep. However, he'd seen that a light was on in her room, so felt better when he'd softly knocked on the door. Sure enough, Tina had been awake, sitting up in bed with a book.

Tina marked her place in her book before closing it, set it aside, and then got out of bed. Newt wanted to protest, saying that he was fine (after all, he'd gotten the glimpse that he'd come for), but words failed him. It wasn't just how lovely she looked in her blue pajamas. Her gaze, even in the low light, was so powerful. So much compassion and understanding; she could _see_ him, see why he had come to her in the middle of the night.

He almost held his breath as she walked towards him, feeling as if each step she took pulled away a layer of his soul. But though he felt vulnerable, he wasn't afraid: Tina made him feel _safe_.

So, when she held out her arms to him and softly said, "Come here," he didn't hesitate in falling into her warm embrace. He didn't cry, but he did take some very deep and shuddering breaths as he buried his face against her neck. He soon felt calmer, thanks to her hands rubbing his back and stroking his hair.

"I have nightmares sometimes, too," she murmured. "How bad was yours?"

"It could have been worse," replied Newt, resting his head on her shoulder. Thank goodness they were the same height, so this position felt natural. "Once or twice in the past, I woke up with a shout. Not tonight, thank Merlin. I just…needed to see you."

Tina responded by hugging him a bit tighter, and Newt gladly reciprocated.

Eventually, when the embrace ended, Tina smiled and said, "How does a cup of hot cocoa with cinnamon sound? It always helps me in these situations."

Newt smiled, too, glad for a reason that they wouldn't have to part just yet. "That would be lovely."

"Good," she said, a mischievous twinkle coming to her eyes. "The first time I made it for you, you didn't drink it."

Newt cringed, remembering his rude behavior that first night of their acquaintance, how he'd pretended to be asleep so that Tina would leave him and Jacob alone more quickly. "Sorry about that."

Tina shrugged, her expression holding only compassion. "No matter. Let's go."


	8. We'll do dishes together

" _We'll do dishes together."_

It was the best compromise that Newt could think of. Neither he nor his wife shied away from work, especially hard work, but neither liked doing the dishes. Both had trouble with the household-chores-type spells that Queenie and so many others did so easily, so often, both would end up resorting to doing such tasks without magic.

Tina sighed, but nodded her head. At least this way, the chore would get done twice as fast. So, the both of them carried their dishes to the sink and stood side-by-side. Newt gallantly took the task of washing, leaving Tina the more preferrable task of drying. He tried to do little things like that more in the past two months, ever since they found out that they would become parents.

When they were nearly finished, having a casual conversation about the latest hatching of occamies in the case, Tina suddenly dropped the plate that she was drying into the sink. Her expression expressed pure shock, and her hands went to her tummy. Seeing this, Newt got _very_ worried. He knew that worrying meant you suffered twice, but how could he _not_ worry when it came to the people that he loved, especially his Tina?

"Tina, what is it?" he asked. His hands went up to her shoulders, gently turning her to face him (not noticing that his hands were still wet from the washing). When she didn't respond right away, Newt got scared. "Love, what's wrong? Is it the baby? Are you in pain?"

Tina shook her head, and he was relieved when he saw a smile tugging at her lips. Still silent, Tina lifted one of his wet hands from her shoulder and pressed his palm to the slight rouding of her stomach.

For a moment, Newt was confused. And then, he felt something…a _fluttering_ beneath his palm and her belly…

Newt's confusion melted into shock and then absolute joy as he looked at Tina. "Oh, Merlin's beard! Is that…?"

Tina nodded, tears coming to her eyes as her smile grew. "I think so…yes, it is!"

Newt's grin exploded across his face as he fell to his knees, pressing both of his wet hands to Tina's tummy. He felt fluttering again as Tina laughed with joy, and he laughed through his own tears before kissing her tummy over and over.


	9. Don't get up I'll do it

**A/N:** _You guys are getting two stories today since I won't be able to post tomorrow. Please enjoy!_

* * *

" _Don't get up – I'll do it."_

Tina mumbled the words sleepily as she forced herself out of bed before Newt could. An owl tapping on their bedroom window had woken the both of them up. This was not a common occurrence (though this was far from the first time that an animal or creature had disturbed their sleep).

Tina, being a worrier, immediately thought it was bad news. After all, an owl that didn't arrive by morning or evening post obviously carried urgent news. Newt, not being a worrier, rubbed his eyes and watched lazily from the bed.

Once the window was open, the owl fluttered in and settled on the footboard of the bed, holding out the leg that had a rolled-up envelope tied to it. Newt turned on his bedside lamp, and in the better light, both recognized the owl.

"Schmuel!" Tina exclaimed, waking up fully. The barn owl that belonged to Queenie and Jacob across the ocean ruffled his feathers a bit as Tina untied the letter from his leg.

Tina grinned, as she always did, at the sound of the ancient Hebrew name that his in-laws had given their family owl. Their mother had told them long ago that it had been the name of her favorite uncle growing up.

"Thanks, honey," Tina said, stroking his head. "You go out behind the house. Drink from the fountain, rest up in the willow tree, and we'll have a nice treat for you in the morning."

Schmuel the owl gave a tired hoot before flying out the bedroom window. After shutting the window against the cool October air, Tina hurried back into bed with the letter. Newt sat up as she opened it. Both were aware of what time of the year it was, and therefore what news that this urgent letter would hold.

Their mutual excitement was high as Tina opened the letter. Their heads together, both read the letter. No easy task, either; it seemed that Jacob had written it in a shaky, hurried hand and even shed a few tears as he wrote.

But he had done so for the best of reasons.

"Merlin's beard!" Newt exclaimed, leaning back after having read the letter. "Twins!"

Tina let out a watery laugh, happiness for her sister overflowing in her heart. "We have nephews, Newt!" She wiped at her eyes. "Oh, these next two weeks can't go by fast enough! I can't wait to meet them!"

Newt nodded. The two had planned a trip to New York right after Queenie had told them when her due date was. Now it certainly felt far away, since Queenie had delivered a week earlier than the healers had projected.

The Scamanders soon fell back asleep, their bodies tired from long days at work, but their hearts happy for their loved ones. Both would dream of babies, possibly their own babies. However, they had only married four months ago, and with what was happening in their careers and in Europe right now, neither felt that now was the right time to seriously try and start a family.

This was a wish that they were willing to wait until the right time for. And they could enjoy being an aunt and uncle for the first time in the process.


	10. You are my new pillow

" _You are my new pillow."_

Newt's voice was the sound of contentment. His eyes were closed, and his head rested on Tina's lap. One of her hands was stroking and playing with his hair (his bird's nest, she called it endearingly). The other he held to his chest, stroking it with his thumb.

Tina chuckled at his observation. They had been sitting like this since Queenie and Jacob had left to go dancing a short time ago. Newt had made the excuse of being tired from his trip here and having a headache, and Tina stayed behind with him (no way was she not spending every moment that she could with Newt after being apart for three months).

Remembering the knowing laughter in Queenie's eyes as she'd said good-bye to them, Tina asked Newt, "So…do you really have a headache? Or were you as in the mood for loud noises, cramped spaces and too many odors as I am?"

Newt smiled, seeming relieved that Tina had figured him out. He opened his eyes, and his blue eyes met her brown ones. "The latter, I'm afraid." His brow furrowed slightly. "Is that alright?"

Tina nodded reassuringly. "Honestly, all I care about is spending time with you, now that you're here. Though it would have been nice to dance with you, this is just as nice a way to…uh…be close to you…"

Her words had faltered and her cheeks had turned pink when Newt's free hand rose to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. She took a shaky breath as his fingers then traced her cheek and jaw. She was certainly more comfortable being touched so intimately, but she hoped that the butterflies-in-her-stomach feeling never went away.

"I concur," murmured Newt. "Though, if at some point this evening, you would be willing to take the risk of dancing with me, I will oblige you."

Tina beamed, carefully lowered her head, and kissed his lips. Newt's hand that had been at her cheek wrapped around the back of her neck, ensuring a long and deep kiss for the both of them.

When Tina finally came up for air (red to the roots but grinning), she took out her wand long enough to wave it at the radio across the room, and the device turned on. A soft and mellow jazz tune joined in the crackling of the fire.

"We'll dance when I lose the sensation in my legs," she said, playfully tugging at his hair. "But until then, I'm as comfortable as you seem to be."

"Oh, don't doubt that I am, Tina," he said, kissing her fingers after getting her hand back. Then he closed his eyes again, the poster boy of blissful contentment.


	11. If you steal the blankets

" _If you steal the blankets, I am going to put my cold feet on you."_

These were the first words that Tina had spoken since she'd come home from work an hour ago.

That cold winter evening, Newt had witnessed enter the cottage and walk past him straight into the bathroom very quickly. He'd been able to glimpse that she had soot on her clothes and her face, the latter of which was a hard mask trying to hold it all together.

Newt's heart had broken for her, knowing what the outcome of her and her team's mission had been by the sight of her.

Thankfully, he knew what she wanted him to do.

Knowing that she would take a long and hot bath, Newt decided to use that free time to ensure that everything in his case was taken care of. No interruptions would be welcome tonight.

When he'd come back up out of the case, now changed into his pajamas, he saw that the bathroom was free and the bedroom door was open.

She was waiting for him.

He found her in bed, curled into a ball facing away from him. His heart breaking even more, Newt had turned off the lights and slipped into bed behind her.

At her words, weary but at least an attempt at humor this dark winter night, Newt rubbed her arm (he would wait for her to come fully to him) and said, "Feel free, love, even though I won't. Whatever you need, I'm right here."

He felt Tina's body tremble, and then begin to shake. Then, quick as she could, she had turned over and was clinging to him as violent sobs began to escape her weary body.

As he always had and always would do, Newt caught her. He held her tightly as she let her emotions take over. He cried with her, knowing that whatever Tina had witnessed had hurt her tender heart deeply. He would listen when she was ready to talk about it.

For now, he would hold her and thank Merlin that she was safely home.


	12. Shush and go back to bed

" _Shush and go back to bed."_

Tina raised an eyebrow at the back of Newt's head at this response to her inquiry as to why he was still up at this hour. Newt very rarely snapped, so that whenever he did, Tina's reaction was worry rather than anger.

Her husband was sitting at the desk in their sitting room. Several piles of filled-out parchment covered most of the surface, and he was furiously scribbling on one. Tina sighed and shook her head, knowing what this was all about. Tomorrow was the deadline for Newt to hand over the latest edition of _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them._

She walked towards him, making sure he could hear her footsteps and not be startled when she put her hands on his shoulders. He made no move to shrug them off, but he didn't stop scribbling until she bent down to kiss his head.

"It's after two in the morning, Newt," she murmured. "You've done more than enough, and now you're practically running on fumes."

Her soothing voice and the logic of her words seemed to do the trick. With a frustrated huff, he threw down his quilt and leaned his head back against her stomach. His eyes shut, he pinched the bridge of his nose and said, "I just want it to be perfect…"

"I know," she said fondly, her hands stroking his face and hair. "You may not be a worrier, but you are certainly a perfectionist. Just have faith that Julius and Augustus will do their jobs just as well as you do yours. They haven't let you down in the past editions of your book as editor and publisher, so don't assume that they will now." She smirked and leaned down to murmur in his ear. "Especially when your book is the best-selling book of all Augustus Worme books."

Newt managed to give a humble smile when Tina kissed his cheek. He sighed and stood up, allowing Tina to push him towards the bedroom. He entered first and, after she had shut the door behind them, turned to face her. There was a gleam in his eyes and a smirk on his lips that made Tina feel _wide_ awake. Perhaps it wasn't only fumes fueling him now; she certainly hoped not.

Thankfully, his next actions proved that she wasn't wrong.

"Do you know something, Mrs. Scamander?" he asked, keeping eye contact with her as he began to unbutton her pajama top.

Feeling a smile grow on her face as a sensual warmth spread throughout her body, Tina replied innocently, "What's that, Mr. Scamander?"

His calloused but gentle fingers brushed the bare skin of her shoulders and arms as he slid her top off her torso. His eyes drank in her body as he said, "You may just be the only thing in this world keeping my sanity intact."

"Oh, I don't know about that," Tina purred, her own hands now quickly unbuttoning his own pajama top. Her fingers teasingly brushed up his chest as she said cheekily, "I don't see how any man who knows how to do an erumpent mating dance perfectly could have any sanity left."

Things escalated quickly and deliciously after Newt responded by nearly tossing his giggling wife onto their bed and immediately joined her for the best of nighttime activities.


	13. Dont be silly I want to stay up with you

" _Don't be silly. I want to stay up with you."_

Her words shocked Newt, to say the least. Considering the mayhem that he'd created on his first and previous trip to New York City, he hardly thought (or hoped) that Tina would want to wait with him for his new dragon egg to hatch.

"Is that ok?" she asked, nervously fiddling with the sleeve of her robe.

Newt nodded vigorously. "Of course, please do! Just, um…" He pulled out his wand and wordlessly summoned two items from his nearby shed inside his case. One was a cushion for her to sit on, just like he was, and the other was his spare pair of dragon-hide gloves. "You don't have to put them on right away," Newt said of the latter item, "but they'll help when the baby has hatched."

Tina settled next to him onto the cushion and set the gloves beside her. Looking at the odd-looking hand-wear, Tina asked Newt, "Can they breathe fire right away?"

"No," replied Newt. "Norwegian Ridgebacks develop their fire-breathing abilities between one to three months old, which is earlier than other breeds. But we have an Antipodean Opaleye here, so no need to worry about fire. However, their claws and teeth are sharp, so those gloves are a good protection for that."

Tina nodded. It turned out that catching a smuggler pretending to be a paleontologist at the Natural History Museum had been the best thing to happen during Newt's return visit. His expertise had determined that the tip-off to MACUSA had been genuine: the egg brought in was _not_ a dinosaur fossil but a dragon egg, specifically an Opaleye egg. To its credit, MACUSA had given the egg to Newt with instructions to return it to either its homeland or the well-regarded dragon preserve in Romania. Once upon a time, they would have destroyed the egg without a second thought. Tina was so proud that the strides her government was creating, and in her own strides as well.

And it was all thanks to the man next to her.

The egg resting in front of them suddenly shook a little bit. Tina gasped and felt excitement shoot through her. Newt let out a breath, his own excitement mounting. "It's starting," he murmured excitedly.

"I've never seen a dragon before," Tina said. "Seen a lot of paintings and pictures, heard a lot of stories, but never one in the…" She stumbled over the last word. "…scales?"

Newt laughed heartily, and Tina joined in. As the egg hatched and the baby Opaleye was born, their hands were holding each other's tightly in excitement. Neither noticed this until the time came to put on their dragon-hide gloves, and they did so with red faces and shy smiles for each other.


	14. Here, let's share the blanket

" _Here, let's share the blanket."_

Tina couldn't deny that the idea was _very_ appealing. The compartment that the two were sharing on a train traveling through the woods of northern Wisconsin in the northern United States (in the middle of a harsh northern winter) was _freezing._ Whatever heating system that existed on this train (which looked to be over one hundred years old) seemed to be broken or frozen up.

Because the two of them were in America, and the train was a public No-Maj transport, both Newt and Tina had to be much more careful about concealing their magical identity. So, the one blanket provided in the compartment for passengers was the only available option.

So Tina nodded, and she couldn't deny that the idea appealed to her greatly. Thankfully, Newt didn't seem at all upset with his suggestion either. She scooted closer to him, and he wrapped the thankfully thick blanket (and his arm) around her. Soon, he had the both of them wrapped around each other in the warm cocoon of the blanket.

Smiling to herself, Tina rested her cheek on his shoulder and thought, _Well, this could certainly be worse._ This new and more tender relationship was still quite new, but Tina was more than happy to take it one wonderful step at a time with him.

"We should be there in an hour or so," Newt said, his own cheek resting against the crown of her head. His hold around her shoulders under the blanket tightened before he continued apologetically, "I know that you were looking forward to this. Traveling with me, I mean. I am sorry that this first foray out is rather ho-hum. Hodags in Wisconsin don't exactly compare to the sphinxes of Egypt or the chimaeras of Greece or any type of dragon –"

"Hey, none of that," Tina interrupted firmly, grasping his free hand underneath the blanket while wrapping her other arm around his waist under the blanket. "Through your eyes, any magical creature is extraordinary."

Newt raised an eyebrow at her skeptically as he met her gaze. "Even flobberworms?"

Tina thought for a moment, and then said, "They're beyond hope and don't count, but every other creature, yes."

They shared a laugh that turned into a tender smile. Oh, the warmth that she felt when he looked at her like that made Tina forget all about their surroundings. He nuzzled his nose with hers as he said softly, "I am very happy that you're here with me."

Tina's smile widened. "The feeling is mutual, Newt, freezing weather and all."

Safe to say that the two of them stayed very warm and comfortable for the entire journey.


	15. I think I love you

" _I think I love you."_

Tina paused momentarily, shook her head slightly, and continued in the same soft, firm tone.

"No, Newt…I _know_ that I do. I have for a long time. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if I started loving you on your first trip here."

The words slipped out of her mouth easily and, truth be told, Tina didn't really try to stop them. She seemed to have shocked Newt, though. Her words seemed to have frozen him as effectively as a ' _Petrificus Totalis'_ spell (though, thankfully, he didn't fall over).

His silence unnerved her. Silence was _not_ the reaction that she'd been hoping to get to her declaration that she'd been building herself up to all week (since his ship had docked). So, as she usually did when she was unnerved, she kept talking:

"I just…wanted to tell you, Newt. Before you left, because I know you're leaving really early in the morning, and I don't always wake up that early on weekends…I'm sorry if it's not, um, welcome…" A lump began to form in her throat, but she spoke through it. "…But, I wanted you to know. Before you left, because I don't know when I'll see you next…again…If it were me, I would want to know."

And still, Newt didn't move, didn't speak; he just stood there staring at her like one of his creatures caught in the wand light. He didn't look anything other than shocked, not happy or embarrassed or anything except shocked. And now that all of her words were spoken, Tina gave into her new impulse fueled by his non-reaction: _run and hide._

"Goodnight, then," she practically squeaked before practically running to her bedroom. She shut the door behind her and collapsed face-down onto her bed. She wanted to scream, she wanted to cry, she wanted to disapparate into oblivion –

And then there came a _very_ urgent knocking on her bedroom door.

Gasping, she practically jumped off her bed in surprise. "C-come in," she squeaked. _Really, Goldstein, you're an auror, not a mouse!_

The door opened and Newt walked in. Tina barely caught a glimpse of the blazing look on his face (that was the only way she could describe it) before he had (gently) grabbed her face between his hands and putting his mouth to hers.

For a split second, Tina froze with wide eyes. Thankfully, her body and heart were wise enough to take control from her shell-shocked mind. In the next second, her eyes shut as she kissed him right back, her body gladly falling into his embrace.

When they finally parted to breathe, the first words were spoken by Newt: "I know I love you, too, Tina. From the very first moment."

What else could a very happy Tina do in response but kiss him again and again and again?


	16. You are my love

**A/N:** _I'm going away for another long weekend, so you guys are getting four today. You're welcome! I'll see you again on the 20th._

* * *

" _You are my love."_

To make sure that Tina had heard him, Newt gently gripped her shaking shoulders and turned her around to face him. The tears on her cheeks broke his heart, more so because his own family had been the cause of them. He truly couldn't blame her for slipping out into the back gardens of his parents' estate during this party that his parents were throwing.

Brushing away her tears with his thumbs, he said, "Look at me, Tina."

She did, her dark eyes bright and bloodshot.

"You are the love of my life," he said as firmly and tenderly as he could. "And nothing, _nothing_ , can or will change that, my family included."

Tina, who seemed to have no spark in her to argue at the moment, let her head fall on his shoulder as he embraced her.

"It wasn't so much what they said, they were very careful with their words," Tina said eventually, when she felt that she had control of her voice. "…It was the way they looked at me, the tones of their voices…whether it's because I'm American or Jewish or both, I don't know…I just wish that I'm not the reason there's another wedge between you and –"

" _No_ ," Newt interrupted firmly, holding her tighter. "Not you. It is their own narrow-minded and downright ignorant and arrogant attitudes that are doing that. If I truly gave a damn about them, I would never have become a magizoologist, let alone chosen you for my life partner."

It relieved him beyond belief to hear a little chuckle escape from her. "Life partner…I like that," she said.

He pulled back to look at her again. No new tears were on her face, thank Merlin, so he smiled. "Yes, Porpentina. And next month, we will make it official." He then tenderly kissed her left ring finger just above her engagement ring.

She nodded and pressed her forehead to his. Then she sighed. "How soon can we leave?" she asked apologetically.

Newt held her tighter and smiled. "Right now. I made our excuses to Mother before coming after you." He kissed her nose. "You know she likes you very much, and I know she's furious at everyone else's behavior, especially Father's."

Tina smiled back, remembering the freckle-faced woman with kind blue eyes who had embraced her from the start. "I do know, and if your mother is the only one of your family who will ever like me, I can live with that because she's the one that is most like you. I can think of no higher compliment for her."

Newt kissed her properly before saying, "Hold on," and disapparating them back to his cottage in Dorset – where he intended to make her forget all about her hard evening in the sweetest way.


	17. We can talk over dinner

" _We can talk over dinner."_

Newt chuckled as he followed Tina into her kitchen, sitting down at the kitchen table as she took out her wand to start the process. "I am guessing that this is not the first time that you have had dinner at such a late hour."

Tina shook her head, smiling to herself as she easily put together some sandwiches for the two of them. "And not for you, either, I'd imagine."

"Far from it," said Newt. Tina had just returned from an emergency raid in the Blind Pig, and Newt had waited up for her, eager to discuss the idea that he'd presented to her earlier that day.

Tina placed their plates on the table, sat down, and they both ate in silence for a while.

Eventually, when both plates were empty, Tina smiled at him and spoke: "So, Mr. Scamander…you want me to come and visit you in England."

Newt swallowed and nodded. "Yes, I do. Very much so."

She cupped her chin in her hand and thought for a moment. "I'm pretty sure I can get some time off next month. I can request it tomorrow when I go in. Would that be alright for you?"

Newt nodded vigorously. "Oh, yes. I'll be in London. My next trip isn't until the spring."

"Good," Tina said, and then she blushed slightly. "Now…about where I would stay…" She bit her lip, and she looked at him hopefully.

Newt's ears went red, but he spoke in an earnest tone. "You would be more than welcome to stay with me, Tina. My flat isn't fancy, but it is homey with room for you. I also won't charge you a fee. And it will be a way for me to begin to repay you for the wonderful hospitality you have always shown me on my visits here."

Tina beamed. "I was hoping you would say that." Then she blushed even more and bit her lip. "Did that…um, I think that came out wrong…"

Though Newt was blushing as brightly as her, he reached across the table and took her hand in his. "Not to me, it didn't," he said, reassuringly and tenderly.

Tina met his glance again, smiled and squeezed his fingers. Then, she stood up from the table and led him by the hand to the sofa in the living room. Wordlessly, easily, the two laid down on the sofa together. They didn't talk because they didn't need to; all they wanted now was to be close to each other.

They fell asleep right there, not caring that they would most likely be woken up by a gloating and teasing Queenie in the morning.


	18. How about something warm?

" _How about something warm? It will help you sleep."_

Newt's suggestion was irresistibly welcome to poor Tina, with her stuffed nose, stuffed head and miserable mood. Plus, her mouth still held the unpleasant taste of her last dose of Pepper-Up Potion (the pepper in the title was there for a reason). She nodded, sniffing pitifully. Newt smiled and left the bedroom.

Tina turned her heavy head to look out of their bedroom window. The English night reflected her current state: overcast of heavy dark clouds, and a distant storm rumbling in the distance. _As miserable out there as I feel right now._

Thankfully, her husband was quick. It seemed only a minute later that he came back into the bedroom with a steaming bowl in his hands. When he settled onto the bed beside her, she was able to (barely, thanks to her stuffed nose) smell what it was, and her heart rejoiced. Tomato soup!

"Oh," she groaned as he helped her sit up against the pillow. "You're the best husband in the whole world."

Newt chuckled and kissed her head. "I will certainly miss you saying things like that when you get better."

Tina looked at him in some concern. "What? I thought I said nice things like that to you before…"

"You do, love, don't worry, I was just teasing," Newt soothed her. He reached for the spoon that he had brought, intent on helping her, but she weakly waved the utensil away.

"No spoon," she croaked. Her hands reached for the bowl, guiding it to her mouth with his help. "I prefer this way when I'm sick…"

His steady hands kept the bowl from spilling as she drank right from it like a glass. He made a mental note to try soup this way next time he had it (though most likely in the privacy of their own home); it certainly looked a better way of savoring the soup.

When the bowl was about empty, Newt set the bowl on the bedside table and helped Tina lay back down. She was, indeed, quite sleepy now. He tucked the blankets tightly around her and kissed her brow. "I need to put my creatures to bed, and then I'll join you again."

"Love you…" Tina murmured as sleep quickly took hold of her. "Hope I can kiss you tomorrow…"

Newt smiled, stroking her hair. He was fairly certain that she was turning the corner on this nasty flu, so her wish would (hopefully) be fulfilled tomorrow.


	19. Your bed head is really cute

" _Your bed-head is really cute."_

Newt automatically put a hand to his head at Tina's giggly statement. The two of them had both come to the Goldstein kitchen for a midnight snack in their pajamas; neither had thought to brush their hair until the morning.

Tina, seeming to realize exactly what she'd said through her giggles, blushed and muttered, "Sorry," before turning back to the cocoa that she was making for herself. "Umm…you want a cup?"

"That would be lovely."

Tina had to bite her lip to keep from making a sound. It was bad enough that his voice was lovely and British, but that sleepy and tender tone that it had now… _Argh! This is_ not _helpful for getting me into a sleepy mood!_

So she concentrated on making a second cup of cocoa with a pinch of cinnamon. Once that was done, Tina brought it to Newt, and he took it with a grateful smile (which made sleep slip farther away from her mind). "Thank you, Tina," he said.

With that, he turned to walk back to his case (he'd chosen to sleep in it on this trip so he could be closer to an expectant mother graphorn). But before he could lift the lid, he walked back to Tina and, slowly enough so that she could back away, he reached up to smooth her hair more intimately than he had once done at the docks.

"I know it's a mess," breathed Tina, unconsciously leaning into his touch.

"No, it's adorable," said Newt, his ears red but his gaze direct.

They exchanged the sweetest of shy smiles before finally exchanging their goodnights.

Once Newt was back inside his case, Tina couldn't help the little squeak that came out of her mouth. She practically floated back into her bedroom with her cocoa. Sleep wasn't going to come any time soon, but Tina didn't give a damn anymore.


	20. You look beautiful in the moonlight

" _You look beautiful in the moonlight."_

Tina turned to look at Newt, who stood beside her on the roof of her building. He was holding her hand very tightly, shifting from one foot to the other. Though he often wrote and said lovely things to her, this obvious kind of compliment (the kind lifted straight out of one of Queenie's romance novels) was not like him.

It had been thunderstorming all afternoon, and the skies had finally cleared over the city. However, nearly all of Manhattan was experiencing a power outage (Tina knew that it was of what No-Maj's called 'electricity') as an after-effect of the tempest. Though the wizarding community of America did not need or rely on electricity for power, they knew how to mask that fact from non-magical eyes.

It was Newt, who was visiting, who suggested seeing what the newly-clear sky looked like without the harsh city lights. Indeed, it was a beautiful sight, with the full moon and the light it made on the still-wet streets below and the ocean just beyond.

The only damper on this peaceful moment was Newt's unnatural nervous demeanor. Newt was not a worrier, yet Tina could feel anxiety coming off him like waves. This romantic observation of his was the last straw – Tina _had_ to know what was bothering him.

Facing him fully, Tina made sure she was holding his gaze and both of his hands before speaking in the most reassuring voice that she could: "Newt, please tell me what's bothering you. No matter how bad it is, I can handle it, I promise."

Newt let out a breathless laugh, tugging her closer to him. "No, love, there's no bad news, nothing like that. But what's on my mind is…well, it is _quite_ substantial and…it would ask quite a lot from you…"

"Since when have you known me to do anything by half?" asked Tina, smiling at him as encouraginly as she could. "You can trust me, Newt. You know that you can. I'll always catch you just like you always catch me, I promi –"

"Will you marry me, Porpentina?"

 _Oh._

Once his question had been spoken, with all of the hope and love in the world, time seemed to stop for Tina. Something Newt had said a moment ago played in her mind: _It would ask quite a lot from you…_ He was right. After all, they were from two sides of the ocean. Newt had already planted his roots with his cottage in England, and he could never be happy living in a large city like New York. And moving to England would mean moving away from a career that she loved and had worked hard for at MACUSA. And, of course, it would mean putting an ocean between herself and Queenie, the only family that she had left.

But with all of the questions her mind brought up, her heart had the answers. She could just as easily be an auror in England as she could in America; the job was essentially the same in both places. And though she was a born-and-bred New Yorker, she had been to England several times by now and had grown to like it more and more. As for Queenie, of course she would miss her sister, but her sister was happy with Jacob, especially since the law no longer made their relationship illegal.

Looking into Newt's blue eyes (shining silver in the moonlight), Tina knew her answer: _he_ was her home, whether they lived in England, America or the bottom of the ocean. Home must truly be where the heart is, because her heart belonged to him.

So, Tina smiled and didn't hesitate in her answer: "Yes, I will, Newton."

In a split second, the two of them were wrapped in a tight embrace. Tears were shed, words of love and gratitude were murmured, and tender kisses were shared. Their only witnesses were the full moon and stars above them – the former smiled and the latter danced.


	21. I love your hugs

" _I love your hugs."_

Newt smiled softly to himself and tightened his hold around his wife the slightest bit. "Then I won't let go until you tell me to."

He felt Tina sigh and he rubbed her lower back, earning him a moan of appreciation. "Ok," she said, loosening her grip on him. "Can we move to the sofa or bed?"

"Of course, love," he said. Keeping one arm wrapped around her, Newt led her into their bedroom. She smiled and made no objection as Newt piled up most of the pillows on her side of the bed so that she would be more comfortable. After helping her onto the mattress, he stripped off his coat and shoes before joining her. Instead of lying down beside her, however, he knelt beside her torso.

Lovingly rubbing her very pregnant belly, Newt murmured, "Hello, little one. I hope you haven't been giving your mummy too tough of a time while I was away. Terribly sorry about that; bad timing, I know. Thankfully, I managed to help capture the rogue Swedish Short Snout before any serious damage could be done in time." He kissed her tummy before continuing. "Thank you for staying put in the meantime, especially since your arrival date is just a few days away. I'd never forgive myself if I missed it."

Tina's fingers in his hair brought his attention back to her. She was smiling at him. "I'd have forgiven you, but I won't deny that I'd have been angry first. Maybe because I've never done this before…probably more because I'm nervous…"

Seeing her face pale a bit, Newt scooched up the bed so that he could kiss her. "You will know what to do, Tina," he said confidently. "I've never given birth but I've seen the birth of many creatures. The mother's body always knows what to do; the instincts are there and will guide you."

Tina rested her head on his shoulder as he cuddled beside her on the bed. "As long as you're there to remind me of that, then alright."

Newt watched Tina bite her lip as she looked at her enlarged tummy as she rested her hand on it. Seeing tears fill her eyes, Newt's heart twisted since he knew what this meant: Tina was thinking of her mother. She seemed to feel that grief more keenly since she'd learned she was expecting, which was understandable. Not for the first time, Newt was very grateful that his own mother had been absolutely wonderful to Tina from the start; she'd also been a great help to Tina during her pregnancy, giving great advice and support.

Knowing what his job was right now (and more than happy that he was home to do it), Newt covered her hand on her belly with his and said, "Well, even if a dozen dragons cause havoc on our doorstep in the next few months, nothing would pry me away from my family. I promise you, Tina."

She blinked back her tears and gave him her own kiss. "We love you," she murmured.

"And I you," said Newt, his heart full to bursting.


	22. How about a kiss?

" _How about a kiss?"_

The moment the words came out of his mouth, his first thought was, _Oh bugger!_ When Tina had asked how she could thank him for helping to catch a black-market trader trying to sell acromantula eggs in the city, he had planned to answer with a humble ' _No need to thank me_.'

But his heart had spoken for him – and now he felt as though he were naked in the middle of Leicester Square.

As he watched Tina blush, he felt his own face turn the color of a tomato as he back-pedaled as fast as he could. "I mean – th-that's not what I – what I meant was – never mind, there's no need for anything – um, I'll just…The bowtruckles need their supper…"

His face still burning, he picked up a small pail of wood lice and exited his shed. As he approached the bonsai tree where the bowtruckles lived, he heard Tina's footsteps behind him. It relieved him somewhat that he hadn't frightened her off, but his heart continued to pound like a drum against his ribs.

"Alright, suppertime, everybody!" he said cheerily to the stick-like creatures. They all eagerly chirruped for their meal, and Newt happily oblidged them (all the time aware of Tina standing just off to the side). Then, he turned to Pickett who, as usual, was sitting in his breast-pocket. "Now, Pickett, I won't have you keeping a small hoard of wood-lice in my pocket again. So, if you want your supper, you must join your brothers and sisters."

Predictably, Pickett moaned and stubbornly refused Newt. But he fell silent when Tina's soft voice spoke from just beside him:

"Please, Pick? You'll only regret it later, believe me."

Though Newt was surprised, he couldn't deny that he was happy at the result: Pickett absolutely _adored_ Tina (he wasn't the only one), and he was no match for her sweet plea. So, he walked up Newt's arm and hands and into the tree branches. Newt gladly fed him a double helping of wood-lice in gratitude.

He and Tina walked back into his shed. When he had put away the pail, he turned to look at Tina and began to say, "Thank you for speaking to hi –"

But his words halted when Tina raised her fingers to his lips. His entire body became alert even as he wanted to melt. Her cheeks were still quite pink, and her dark eyes were bright. As her fingers moved along his cheekbone slowly, tentatively, those dark eyes went to his lips and then back up to his eyes.

His heart filled with warmth as he read the hope and the question in her eyes. So he hadn't mucked everything up! And, if he was reading the signs correctly, he certainly wasn't going to refuse her. He answered her unspoken question by mirroring her actions: he cupped her own cheek with his hand.

They met each other halfway; it was easy, as natural as breathing. When they broke apart, neither knew or cared who had the bigger (or goofier) smile on their face. That night, both learned that there was no sweeter relief than the realization of mutual feelings – and no sweeter sensation than a kiss with the right person.

And they certainly didn't leave it at only one kiss before they parted for bed.


	23. I'll be here to protect you

" _I'll be here to protect you."_

Tina's words, spoken in a soft and strong voice, only just came through between his panting breaths and the pounding of his heart. His body was covered in a cold sweat, and the night terror that she'd just pulled him out of had left him feeling so very cold. Not surprising, considering the fact that they'd had an encounter with dementors the previous night.

"You hear me, Newt?" she said, cupping his face in her hands and making sure he was looking at her. "I'll _always_ be here to protect you."

Finally, he felt his body calming down as hot tears flowed down his cold cheeks. He offered no resistance as Tina held him to her. In fact, he clung to her like a rock in a storm, like the lifesaver that she was. When the sound of her own heart against his ear became louder than the pounding of his own, he was able to speak.

"They came out of nowhere…"

Tina nodded, keeping him close. "I know. Grindelwald knows what he's doing using those monsters to use terror for his own means."

"I'd learned about them at school, learned the Patronus charm and all that, but I'd never…"

Tina kissed his hair. "I'm so sorry I didn't get there sooner."

Amazingly, Newt managed a chuckle. "I still have my soul, Tina. There's no need to apologize."

They just held each other for a long time, their breathing and heartbeats slowing to a normal rate. Newt was very glad that Tina had come to bed with him that night without him even having to ask; she knew him so well by now. Safe to say, her most recent visit to England was _not_ going as he'd hoped it would go thus far.

When he voiced this aloud to her, breaking the silence, Tina fixed him with a look. "If I can't apologize needlessly, then neither can you, mister." Then she softly smiled. "Just remember: this is my last visit. The next time I come to England, I'll be coming home."

And just like that, the warmth that Newt had been searching for filled him to the tips of his fingers and toes. Though Tina would indeed be going back to New York in a few days, she would be back in England a week later…to marry _him…_

Finally feeling calm, Newt brought them both to lie back down again (he'd shot upright in bed when the night terror had gripped him). Holding her close and kissing her, Newt murmured, "You're my hero, Tina."

She pulled back a bit and began to deny this, but Newt, having anticipated that, would have none of it.

"No, let me say this, love. Not just for last night, either, though you were indeed extraordinary. But every day. Even when life and the odds are stacked against you, you fight for what's right and good. I saw that from the first. You always put others, especially those you love, before yourself. And I'm the luckiest man in the world to be chosen by you to share your life with."

Tina's eyes were very bright in the dim light of his bedroom. "It's you, you know," she whispered. "What I thought of, when I made my Patronus…it will always be you."

No more words were spoken that night as peace finally settled over them.


	24. I might have slept with your robe

" _I might have slept with your robe when you were gone."_

Newt spoke the words in a mumble, rubbing the back of his neck and looking very sheepish. Tina, falling in love with her husband all over again, smiled and set down her suitcase at the foot of the bed (she would deal with that later). Then, as she took off her blazer (her coat and shoes had already been taken off), she said, "Well, I certainly can't blame you for that. Isn't that sweater you leant me so long ago in one of _my_ drawers instead of yours?"

Newt returned her smile as he stepped forward. "And I've no intention of taking it back, not when it looks so much more fetching on you than me."

The married couple embraced, and Tina let out a groan that she'd been holding in for the past week. She'd only just come home after a week-long conference of aurors and magical law enforcement in New York City. It had been…quite frustrating, because it had been very hard to come up with any kind of consensus as to what the next move against Grindelwald would be.

"It was like banging my head against a brick wall so much of the time," she murmured against Newt's shoulder. "Everybody thinks they're right to the point where they don't want to even listen to other ideas."

Newt rubbed her back. "I'm sorry, love. I'm sure it's because of the stress that we're all under rather than any real ill-will."

Tina gave a hollow chuckle. "I wish that I could have remembered that more this past week."

"Well," said Newt, gently breaking the embrace and rubbing her arms. "You're home now, and I have something to show you."

He then led her by the hand towards the bathroom. When he opened the door, Tina exclaimed, " _Oh_ , you are the most _fantastic_ husband!"

The bathroom was dimly lit with candles, and the quite large bathtub was filled with steaming water.

Tina turned to face her husband, who couldn't help but look very pleased with himself. She none too gently unbuttoned his shirt as she said, "Don't think that you're not going to enjoy this with me, mister."

Newt grinned and offered no resistance. "Yes, ma'am."


	25. You're comfy

" _You're comfy."_

Newt responded to his by kissing her forehead. Her head was resting on his shoulder, and his arm was around her own shoulders. Their backs were resting against a large tree, a little distance away from the large white tent being used to celebrate the first wedding in recent history between a witch and a no-maj – Queenie and Jacob. Both were overcome with happiness for them, but they also needed a break from the large crowd and many sounds.

"Enjoying the champagne tonight, Miss Goldstein?" he teased, noting her dreamy smile and the child-like manner of her words.

"Just two glasses," Tina replied, still with a smile on her face. "I may be a light-weight, but I know I'm not drunk."

"Good to know," Newt said, resting his cheek against her dark hair.

After Tina gave a happy sigh, she said, "Did you see how happy she is?"

Newt pulled her closer. He had always loved how close the sisters were, from Tina's protectiveness to Queenie's support. "Yes," said Newt. "They both are, and I know that they are a good match. Love has a transcendent quality that surpasses many things, including magic and no-magic."

"And oceans and countries, too," Tina said, almost shyly.

His heart soaring, Newt lifted Tina's chin and murmured against her lips: "Absolutely."

After a long and sensuous kiss, the two of them lapsed into a contented silence. Tina's eyes were shut, a soft smile on her face as her head cuddled on his shoulder. She looked breath-taking today, her champagne-colored dress gleaming in the candlelight, and a true radiance about her as she watched her sister receive her true happiness.

When the silence was broken again, it was by Tina. "Correct me if I'm wrong, please…but I don't think either of us thought about getting married or a future wedding much in our lives."

"No, you're not wrong," said Newt contemplatively. "Our passions were our work, and we put our focus on them."

"Mm-hm," said Tina, entwining their fingers together. "I only ever thought about my own wedding in comparison to Queenie's whenever she dreamed aloud about her own…all I ever knew was that I wanted it small, no fuss and frills…"

"I like that," said Newt, beginning to imagine a wedding in his own mind. "Would you wear a white gown?"

Tina's mouth twisted a bit. "Mmm…I'd like to," she said in a quiet voice. "But I think I would look like a fool in one."

" _No_ ," said Newt firmly, lifting her chin again so that their eyes could meet. "You would be as you always are: more beautiful than a unicorn."

Coming from anybody else, that would hardly be considered a compliment. But this came from Newt, and that was high praise indeed. Blushing, Tina said nothing and buried her face against his neck. Newt let her, knowing that he couldn't take a compliment any better. They fell into silence again, both dreaming of a wedding in their future that didn't seem so unlikely as it had always felt before…


	26. You smell very nice

" _You smell very nice."_

Newt's words were muffled against the skin of her neck. Tina could only moan in reply, her head falling back as Newt held her securely against him.

Night had fallen over Newt's cottage in Dorset. It was Tina's first visit – and first night – there. They'd been star-gazing for a good long while, and now they'd come inside. Perhaps it was the time (the darkness and the intimacy of it) and the place (in Newt's home, rather than Tina's, where Queenie had full access to their thoughts) and their love (for it was love and had been acknowledged as such to each other some time ago) all coming together in that moment that brought the two of them physically together like this.

Neither of them cared about the logistics behind it at the moment. Their hearts had happily taken over now.

When she couldn't take it anymore, she brought his face back up and captured his mouth again. He happily complied, keeping her close to him. Her own hands began to wander, from his hair to his neck, then his shoulders and his chest. When her fingers found the buttons of his shirt, the temptation was irresistible.

However, when several of the buttons had been unbuttoned, Newt stiffened and broke the kiss. "Tina," he said in a strained voice.

She immediately dropped her hands and wished that she could disappear. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't ha –"

"No, love, no, you didn't do anything wrong," reassured Newt. "It's just that…well, I… _this_ …" He weakly pointed to his chest. "Well…it's not very pretty…"

He tried to sound nonchalant, but the way that his ears burned told Tina the real story. Compassion filling her heart, Tina cupped his cheek and said gently, "You can't scare me off that easy, Newt."

Though it was a gentle tease, her eyes and tone told him the three words that meant as much to them as 'I love you': _'I'll catch you.'_

He saw it, thankfully, and kissed her again with infinite tenderness. Then, knowing that he was indeed safe, he put her hands back on his chest with a little nod. Keeping eye contact with him, Tina undid all of the buttons on his white shirt, both down the front and on his sleeves. He took it off and let it fall to the floor.

Tina looked at him. Her fingers gently traced the scars that shone silver in the firelight, as well as the freckles and the light sprinkling of hair. _How could he ever believe he was ugly?_ Knowing that words wouldn't be the best way to convey what she felt, Tina stepped closer to him and imitated his actions from moments ago.

He let out a strangled gasp as her lips tasted his neck, and he gave a shuddering sigh when she kissed the first scar that she could reach.

When his own hands came up to unbutton her blouse, she made no move to stop him. And as he slid the blue fabric off her torso, he murmured words uttered long ago that had been their beginning: "I've got you, Tina."

She came to him fully, and it wasn't long before they gently tumbled onto the bed.


	27. It's not morning yet

" _It's not morning yet."_

Tina's slurred-by-sleep words tugged at his heartstrings. He wished that he could let her sleep, but he just couldn't stomach the idea of saying good-bye in a note.

"I know, Tina, and I'm sorry," he said, giving her shoulder another shake. "But my boat leaves at dawn…and I didn't want to sneak away without saying good-bye to you."

This made Tina fully open her eyes as she truly woke up. "Oh…" She sat up and her face fell. "I'd forgotten…Of course, you've been here two weeks, it's time for you to go home…" She bit her lip, twisting her hands in her lap. "I hope that you had a nice time, at least."

He watched her cringe, and he felt glad that she seemed to feel as awkward as he did. "Oh, yes. I had a lovely time, Tina. With all of you. I've…" He scratched the back of his neck. "It's nice to have friends. To come and visit, I mean."

Tina was looking at him in that way that, coming from anyone else, he would turn away. But with her, it made him feel…safe. Her hand reached out towards him, as if to touch his hand or arm, but she withdrew it shyly.

She then picked up his book from her night-table. "Thank you again for bringing me this," she said, smiling. "For keeping your promise. It's a wonderful book, Newt. You should be very proud."

He blushed and ducked his head. Then, he plucked up all of his courage before he spoke again: "I'm glad that you like it, Tina…though part of me wishes that I hadn't brought it…"

Tina's brow furrowed. "I don't understand."

He gulped before he clarified as best he could: "My book was a reason to come back…" His voice failed him after that.

There seemed to follow an everlasting moment of silence. Then, Tina placed her hands on his shoulders and met his eyes again. "Well, here's a new reason for you, Newt: You are _always_ welcome here because you're our friend. We enjoy your company, and we care about you."

Then, to make sure that her words really got through to him, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and hugged him. It was a bit awkward, since she was sitting up in bed and he was kneeling beside the bed. For a moment, he was shocked, but then his own arms came around her in return.

Gradually, they both relaxed as their bodies remembered how well they fit together. He'd only held her in his arms once before, and for only an instant, when he'd caught her in the death chamber. Now, there was no urgency or threat of death, just them…and it felt absolutely lovely.

"Thank you, Tina," he murmured, the smell of her shampoo intoxicating in his nostrils.

Finally, they let each other go. "Will you write to me when you've reached England?"

Newt nodded, glad that they would continue their trans-Atlantic correspondence. "I promise, Tina." He then stood up and grabbed his case. "Tell Queenie and Jacob good-bye for me."

Tina nodded, and her eyes were bright. One last and long look, and then Newt forced himself to disapparate away to the dark alleyway close to the docks.

Already he was planning his next trip back to New York.


	28. I heard you talking in your sleep

" _I heard you talking in your sleep."_

Tina blushed as she watched Newt pour out two cups of tea in her kitchen. He'd been down in his case for half of the night, nursing a sick mooncalf, and the sound of the kettle boiling had woken her up.

"Oh…I'm sorry if you couldn't fall asleep," she said, concluding that this was why he hadn't joined her in bed and instead decided to make himself a cup of tea.

He smiled at her reassuringly before kissing her softly and saying, "No need to worry, love. You know I like to enjoy a cuppa before turning in, anyway. Will you join me?"

Tina nodded, and they sat at the table with their cups. She'd always liked tea, and had grown to like it even more as she came to share it with Newt (whom she was convinced couldn't go a day without a cuppa tea). After a few quiet minutes, Newt reached out and stroked her wrist. "Is something troubling you, Tina? Your sleepy mutterings sounded a bit…stressful."

Tina sighed, taking his hand in hers. "I don't expect they were. I've been told by Queenie that I talk in my sleep when I'm extremely anxious or nervous. And considering the assignment that I'm doing tomorrow…"

Newt nodded, understanding coming to him. This afternoon, Tina and her fellow aurors had received a tip-off that a new branch of Second Salemers had set up new headquarters in the Bronx. Tina knew that she would be under double the scrutiny on this one, considering what had happened the last time she had gone after the Second Salemers.

Knowing what she needed right now, Newt tugged on her hand gently and said, "Come here, love."

Tina gladly moved from her chair to carefully sit across his lap. He kissed her cheek as she cuddled against him sleepily, and he said, "You're a brilliant witch, Tina, and a top-notch auror. More than that, you're a person who learns from their mistakes. President Picquery wouldn't have put you on this team, let alone reinstated you as an auror, if she wasn't sure of that."

Tina let her body relax as her mind was reassured. She lifted her hand to touch his collarbone, pressing her palm to where his chest was exposed by the loose buttons at the top. She felt his warm skin and that calmed her even more. She smiled to herself as she looked at the opal ring on her finger, shining even in the modest kitchen lighting.

Newt's own hand had sneaked under her pajama top, his fingers stroking the skin of her lower back. "Do you feel better, Tina?" he said in a low voice that only Tina was privy to.

"Mmm," Tina purred, pressing her smiling lips to his before saying. "Nearly there. If we move to the bedroom, we could reach our destination."

She let out a _very_ undignified squeak when Newt had stood up with her still in his arms. He had a very cheeky grin on his face as he walked her towards the bedroom. Why did she nearly always forget how well-built he was beneath his buttoned-up, English exterior?

As he began to ravish her once they'd climbed onto the bed, Tina decided that she didn't mind forgetting from time to time – because it was _such_ a delight to rediscover it all over again.


	29. You are very endearing

" _You are very endearing when you're half asleep."_

The smile on his new wife's face was absolutely beatific, her head turned sideways to look at him. They sat naked on their bed, looking at the full moon through their bedroom window. A lovely white gown lay crumpled where it had fallen near the doorway, along with the pieces of his own dark-blue suit. She sat between his legs, her back against his chest, and his arms were wrapped securely around her.

He had to smile at her response to his words. Kissing her shoulder, he said, "Well, asleep or awake, I meant it. You truly have made me so happy. More happy than I ever thought I could be."

She kissed his nose and said, "The feeling is mutual, believe me…today really was perfect, wasn't it?"

"Absolutely, Mrs. Scamander," said Newt, a huge grin spreading across his face as he called her by her new name. Tina returned his smile and they kissed. Then they turned their heads to the window again to watch the moon, pressing their cheeks together.

Both happily remembered the day, the simplicity and beauty of the simple ceremony on the beach close to Newt's (now their) cottage in Dorset. The Ministry judge officiating the ceremony, a beaming and pregnant Queenie, a proud and pleased Jacob, and Newt's overjoyed mother were their only witnesses. Afterwards, they'd all eaten a good meal with even better conversation and toasts. Queenie insisted that the newlyweds share a dance (which they didn't mind doing at all) before they were left alone to consummate the marriage (which they wasted no time getting to and thoroughly enjoying).

Eventually, Newt broke the silence and said, "That's why I don't want to fall asleep, you know. I don't want this day to end."

"Mmm," Tina moaned, entwining the fingers of their left hands. The rings on their fingers gleamed in the moonlight. "I understand the sentiment. But we married so that we could spend our lives together completely. If this day never ended, then the rest of our lives would never begin."

"That is very true," said Newt. He kissed her cheek and then guided them both to lay down facing each other. Keeping his arms around her, he said, "A wonderful life."

Stroking his cheek, Tina said, "Full of creatures and chaos, no doubt."

"Oh, yes. Stubborness and sweetness, as well."

"I like this game," said Tina, pushing him so that she had crawled atop him. "Early morning tea and late night cocoa."

"Book signings and midnight raids." His hands slid up her bare back.

"Great talks and even better actions," she said, brushing his chest with hers suggestively.

"And the best of all," murmured Newt, meeting her eyes. "Husband and wife."

"Always," Tina breathed before kissing him breathless.


	30. I'll always be here for you

" _I'll always be here for you."_

Newt said those words as firmly as he could. He sat on the bed beside his wife, his left arm around her shoulders while she clutched his right hand for dear life. She was so tired, her poor body in the worst pain that she'd ever experienced, and her dark eyes showed how scared she was.

"I'm not going anywhere, Tina," he said, kissing her sweaty forehead. "I've got you, love, I've got you."

Tina's expression tightened as another contraction hit her, and he resolutely ignored how hard she was holding his hand as her whole body pushed.

When it had passed, Hestia (a midwife from St. Mungo's) looked up at the two of them with a smile on her face. "Well done, Mrs. Scamander. The head is born."

"The head?" Tina said breathlessly. "That felt like a watermelon to me!"

Newt smiled at Tina's humor, still intact even with how much pain she was in, and his excitement grew. "You're almost there, love, you're almost there."

"That's right," said Hestia. "On your next contraction, I want you to give me one large push, and we'll have the new arrival all here."

Tina had shut her eyes, trying to pant evenly, gathering all of the strength that her body had left. Newt squeezed her shoulders and pressed his forehead to her temple. "Your body will know when it's time, my darling. You can do this. I know you can."

She opened her eyes a little and looked at him. The fear hadn't completely left her eyes. "Catch me?" Tina rasped.

Newt smiled at her and kissed her cheek. "Always, Tina, always."

A minute later, Tina's body tensed up in a powerful contraction. She gritted her teeth, sat up, and let out an excruciating groan. Newt could only hold her hand (losing the sensation in his fingers by now) and watch her in absolute awe at the miracle she was performing that no magic could ever supersede.

"And there we go!" exclaimed Hestia as Tina collapsed back against the pillows, the contraction over. Newt, his heart pounding, craned his neck to see what the midwife was now holding.

Then, a moment later, the sound of a baby's cries filled the bedroom. The biggest grin that he'd ever grinned spread across his face, and Tina smiled too as she caught her breath.

"Well done, little Miss Scamander!" exclaimed the midwife, holding up the crying infant for her parents to finally see with their own eyes. "That's a sound I like to hear!"

 _A girl…it's a girl!_ Newt blinked away the tears that filled his eyes, the better to look at the squirming, red and wet little creature that the midwife held in a fresh towel. He had never seen anything so breath-taking in his life.

As Hestia tended to cutting her cord and wiping her off a bit, Newt turned his head to look at his amazing wife. She'd never looked so beautiful to him, exhausted as she was. He watched as Tina looked at her daughter, sitting up and reaching out her arms for her. Hestia gladly placed the squalling infant in her mother's arms, and the baby calmed soon after recognizing her mother's safe embrace.

As Newt looked at his wife and newborn daughter – his family – he could only say three words to them as he put his arms around both:

" _I love you_."

* * *

 **A/N:** _And so concludes my month-long fluff fest! This has been quite good for my soul. Who knows where the next movies will take us, especially how they will portray Newt and Tina's relationship. At least we can all take comfort in the one fact that we know right now: they marry and live to ripe old ages._

 _BTW, the newborn's name is Phoebe Ruth Scamander. If you want to read more about her, my story "Never Knew I Would Meet You" takes place immediately after this one shot, and "Blinking Into the Sun" takes place a few weeks later._

 _Thank you all for reading, please leave a review if you can, and I'll see you the next time inspiration hits me!_


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